British GP: Honda interview with Jenson Button

JENSON BUTTON on his home Grand Prix
The 2008 British Grand Prix will be Jenson Button's ninth Formula One
race at Silverstone. His best result is fourth in 2004, and he has
finished in the points on three other occasions. Jenson has started ...

JENSON BUTTON on his home Grand Prix

The 2008 British Grand Prix will be Jenson Button's ninth Formula One
race at Silverstone. His best result is fourth in 2004, and he has
finished in the points on three other occasions. Jenson has started on
the front row once, in 2005.

Are you looking forward to racing at Silverstone?

"I always look forward to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone as it's
my home race and therefore a very special weekend for me. I love the
layout of the track because it's very fast and flowing, and I have a lot
of good memories from when I used to spectate at the British Grand Prix
as a boy."

How much of a lift does the home support give you?

"The fans are great and I love seeing all the Union Jacks in the
grandstands. But it's also a bit frustrating at the moment because I
want to give them better results than I'm currently able to. The Honda
Racing F1 Team's headquarters is located only seven miles from the
track, so there will be a lot of people from the factory supporting us
there. With the race selling-out on all three days, there will be a
fantastic atmosphere."

What's your favourite corner at Silverstone?

"The Becketts complex is my favourite combination of corners in the
world. You enter it flat-out in seventh gear, so the speeds are
extremely high, and you have to be very precise with your line. The
change of direction that you carry through there is just mind-blowing.
When you get this section right, you come out with the biggest smile on
your face. It's a fantastic place to watch the race from."

Why are you using a new helmet design for the British Grand Prix?

"I recently ran a competition on my website, www.jensonbutton.com, in
which I asked fans to design my helmet colour scheme for Silverstone. We
had a staggering 7055 entries and I've opted for the design by Aries
Janssens from Denbighshire in the UK, which I'll unveil on Thursday at
the track. What I like about Aries' design is that it's very British and
very me. By very me, I mean very patriotic. His design incorporates my
logo and my name, and the 'o' in Jenson is a Union Jack button. Good
work, Aries!"

THE 2008 SEASON

This is Jenson's ninth season in Formula One. He has driven for Williams
(2000), Benetton (2001-2002), BAR-Honda (2003 - 2005) and the Honda
Racing F1 Team (2006-2008).

Jenson has contested 143 races to date, from which he's taken one win,
four second places and 10 third places. He has started from pole
position three times and led a total of 124 laps.

Where are you at in your career?

"Firstly I'm in Formula One and that is every driver's primary goal.
Beyond that it's a question of where you are in F1, whether you're in a
good team and whether you have the experience to challenge for the World
Championship. I'm only 28 years old, yet this is already my ninth year
in F1 so I have the necessary experience to win the title. I haven't got
the car underneath me to do that at the moment, but that will come."

What are you doing to improve the performance of this year's car?

"I tell the team exactly how it performs on the track, where it's weak
and where it's strong. I'm working much harder now than I did in 2004,
when I finished third in the World Championship, because that's what you
have to do to get back to the front. I make sure that the team are
making the changes that need to be made."

When you know you can't challenge for wins, what's your motivation?

"I love what I do, so I have no problems with motivation. It isn't nice
knowing that I'm going into the British Grand Prix without a realistic
chance of battling at the front, but when I'm in the car I push 110
percent. That's what I do every time I get in the car; it's what I have
to do to drive the team forward and ahead of what will be a better year
in 2009."

FITTER THAN EVER BEFORE

The cockpit of a Formula One car is one of the harshest environments in
sport. Temperatures regularly exceed 50 degrees and the drivers often
pull 5G while braking and cornering.

Jenson understands the physical and psychological benefits that come
with being as fit as possible, which is why he's one of the
best-prepared drivers on the grid. Ahead of each season he heads to Club
La Santa on the island of Lanzarote for several intensive training
camps, at which he cycles, runs, swims and weight trains.

This year, for the first time, he has combined all of those disciplines
to contest in the demanding event of triathlon. In his first event, the
Sevenoaks Sprint Triathlon (400m swim, 27km bike, 8km run), Jenson
finished 16th out of 250 starters; in the second, the Windsor Triathlon
which was Jenson's first Olympic distance event (1500m swim, 43km bike,
10km run), he came home an impressive 117th out of 1700.

Why have you taken up triathlons?

"I like the pain and I like pushing my body to the limit. I also enjoy
the fact that there's nobody else involved. It's just me on my own and
if I'm not quick enough, then it's solely down to me The Windsor
triathlon earlier this month was a big event; there were a lot of
spectators lining the route and it felt weird to hear people shouting my
name because I've normally got a helmet on and can only hear the engine
noise!."

Which of the three triathlon disciplines is your strongest?

"At Windsor, I'd say the swim was my best. It was 1500m in the River
Thames and at the end I was in 90th position out of the 1700 entrants.
I've done a lot of swimming since I was a boy and one of the reasons I
enjoy it is because it's all about technique. I've developed my own
style over the years, although I'm told that I still don't roll enough
in the water."

What benefits do the triathlons give you in the cockpit?

"The main benefit from the multi-discipline triathlon event is overall
fitness. The bike is particularly good because you build up lactic acid,
which is what happens in the car, due to the vibrations. Swimming is
good for upper body strength and I also work my neck while I'm in the
water. Triathlons are competition, which is what F1's all about, and
knowing that I'm one of the fittest drivers on the grid makes me feel
very strong psychologically."